The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-05
A TRAVELLER.
The Remarkable Record of Baggage
Master.

81 From the Providence Telegram.
/ Travelled far enough to go around the
earth eighty times Two million miles!"
eyes, sir, that's about the size Of it if your
fggerin's correct
II was in the baggage car of the Shore
Line express train that this fragment of
conversation was overheard, and the first
speaker looked aghast as he carefully run
/ mp the figures he had made on the back of
an old envelope.
The train was rafting along past the
fields by Kingston, and ON this rainy after
noon the baggage car was not the pleasant
est place in the world for a conversation
Among the piled up trunks the two men
were sitting. and their hiding places were
only marked by the wreaths of smoke that
curled up from between the Saratogas. The
man who had spoken last was an old man,
and one worth second look. He was
dressed in the ordinary overalls and jumper,
and from beneath his uniform cap, thick
locks of white hair curled out giving his
smooth-shavep face setting not to be
easily forgotten. 1t was Mr.. H. S. Baker,
through baggage master on the Shore Line
express. In the course of the conversation
the old man had made mention of the ex-
tent of his travels.
1T was in 1871, !" he had said, "that first
| went on the Boston and Providence railroad.
when got tired of that settled down here
and have been on the road ever since. l had
charge of the baggage and mails. Then
when the first Shore Line train was run,
on Dec. IL, 1859, l began to go through
from Boston to New York, and have done
so ever since.
am about 70 years old, and am as well
as ever | never drank, and attend to my
own business only, and don't know or care
what is going on in any other part of the
traln; that's the conductors business. Some
times | don't even know what engine is
drawing us; that's the engineers business.
Il suppose you've been in a good many
accidents in your long connection with the
"ssd u. a., 49,,
accidents. was counting up the other day
and found that I'd been In twenty, includ-
ing the number of times the train has gone
OF the track"
Twenty! And you still liver
Don't look much like a corpse that's been
rotting q feet under ground in wooden
overcoat, do IL No, sir, but I've had some
narrow scratches, l tell you. You remem-
per the Stony creek accident7 Well, was
IN mat and was in my baggage car as usual,
ana was hitched on next to the engine You
zee some fellow had put an obstruction on
Ine track right on the bridge. He took a
- vi rdli ana lalu III crOSSwlSe OF the Otner
rams and hitched it there. When the train
came along the engineer didn't see it until
He got close on to it. He whistled down
brakes Immediately. l didn't know
wnst was up OF course, but I rushed out
and screwed as hard as could, and then l
rushed back into the baggage car and
slammed the door with both hands Just as
we went OFF the trcstle. The roof of the
baggage car slid right off and ran under the
tVol OF the passenger coach behind, but it
I'ht hurt a soul there, although it passed
lose TO the heads of some people sitting in
one seats there. was thrown down to the
o.ner end of the car under some baggage
g 1lea 70 catch hold of that big rod that runs
through the top of the car, but it's lucky
missed 1t, or | would have been crushed
o %nen the roof went Off and slid through the
t amer coach. i got pretty badly bruised
at Time, and felt the strain in my back
~ Eearly a year, but no bones were broken.
-, TACT, In all my railroading never 50
sua as got finger broken"
n Once when we were running between
Coiord and Bamford, two little towns in
s, o,Ililhcucut, an axle on the engine broke,
b but tnrew us of. The trucks held, but the
ssage car was thrown off and turned
w. ipieteiy over There were six of US in
Sie car at the time, and for a moment we
t Jieie al mixed up with the baggage. When
60 saS c''r struck we struck, too, and the bag
49, struck on top Of US and left Us all